Process for opening bellies of fish



Jan. 17, 1961 w. F. EUBANKS 2,968,061

PROCESS FOR OPENING BELLIES OF FISH INVENTOR William F. Eubanks BY 5 Wauh/42;!

. ATTORNEY Jan. 17, 1961 w. F. EUBANKS PROCESS FOR OPENING BELLIES OFFISH Original Filed Aug. 1, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.IO.

TTTT 1 TI ILLLL.

BY wiliicm F. Eubunks f 2 7y ATTORN w. F. EUBANKS PRodEss FOR OPENINGBELLIES OF FISH Original Filed Aug. 1, 1958 Jan. 17, 1961 2,968,061

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 I DORSAL FIN PECTORAL FIN v GILL COVER FRONT VENTRALEIN ANUS OR NT PE c OR PQSTER|OR ANAL FIN CAUDAL FIN VENTRAL FIN oR TAILINITIAL STEP HOLD FIRMLY A-T GILL COVER THIRD STEP SLICE HERE DO NOT CUTI THROUGH BELLY BOTTOM FINAL STEP INSERT FRONT END OF TOOL AND FIRMLYZIP BELLY OPEN ALONG DOTTED LINE B.

\ sscomp STEP REMOVE VENT. CUTTING FROM BACK TO FRONT FIG. l8.

INVENTOR William F. Eubonks ATTORN United States Patent C PROCESS FOROPENING BELLIES OF FISH William F. Eubanks, Box 954, Vero Beach, Fla.

Original application Aug. 1, 1958, Ser. No. 752,469. Divided and thisapplication May 21, 1959, Ser. No. 818,498

3 Claims. (CI. 17-45) The present invention relates to process foropening bellies of fish and more particularly female shad and the likefor the purpose of recovering without mutilation the roe or capsularenclosure.

This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 752,469,filed August 1, 1958.

The process will also be found applicable to cod, haddock and otherfish, the anatomies of which pose a somewhat more simple problem than inthe matter of recovery of roe from shad.

It is an object of the invention to provide a process for the quick,easy and economical removal of roe from female shad and the like wherethe roe is intact and is thus able to command the highest price in themarket.

It is another object of the invention to provide a process or method ofso operating upon shad and the like by a series of steps that will bothremove the roe without mutilation but which will also generally preservethe remainder of the carcass of the fish for its further commercialvalue as a food product.

The invention may be carried out conveniently by the tool hereindisclosed and described, or any other desired or applicable form oftool.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a tool constructed in accordancewith the present invention and in assembled condition ready for use.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 33 inFigure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one of the sectionsof the handle taken on a much magnified scale.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5through the extra knife carried by the butt of the tool.

Figure 6 is an edge elevational view of a form of spoon used inconnection with the invention.

Figure 7 is a front elevational view of such spoon.

Figure 8 is a cross sectional view through the shank of the spoon takenon the line 8-8 in Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a side elevational view of one of the handle sections.

Figure 10 is a top edge view of the two handle sections in disassembledcondition taken from the upper end of the tool.

Figure 11 is a similar view taken from the butt end of the tool.

Figure 12 is an exploded view of a form of bolt and wing nut employed.

Figure 13 is a front elevational view of the nut.

Figure 14 is a plan view of a form of double knife employed.

Patented Jan. 17, 1961 Figure 15 is a plan view of a form of largeresilient binding ring employed.

Figure 16 is a similar view of a small resilient binding ring.

Figure 17 is a side schematic view of a form of fish upon which theprocess and tool of this invention is designed to work.

Figure 18 is a similar view bearing incision lines and data illustratingthe steps of carrying out the process.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, and for the present toFigures 6, 7 and 8, 20 designates a spoon bowl, 21 the shank extendingfrom the bowl and 22 a rib on the rear edge of the shank containingnotches 23.

Referring more particularly to Figures 9, 10 and 11, a tapered handle isshown comprising handle sections 24 and 25. Near the large or spoon endof the handle sections 24 and 25 the same are pierced 'by registeringbolt holes 26, 27 and one of the handle sections is provided with acountersunk recess 28 fora bolt head which is shown as square but may bemade of other configuration.

Referring more particularly to Figure 9 which illustrates the smaller orbutt end of the two handle sections 24 and 25, 29 and 30 representregistering bolt holes in the two sections and 31 designates acountersunk recess for a square or other configuration of bolt head.

It will be seen from Figure 9 that preferably both side edges of thehandle sections 24 and 25 are tapering from the spoon end to the buttend.

The right hand edges of the handle sections 24 and 25 are provided withnotches 32 and 33 and the left hand end of these handle sections areformed with angular recesses 34, 35 which together form a rectangulargroove extending longitudinally of the handle in assembled relation toreceive the shank 21 of the spoon.

Referring more particularly to Figures 12 and 13, bolts 36 are providedto enter the upper and lower bolt holes of the handle sections, therepreferably being two such bolt holes and two bolts 36. The bolts areprovided with heads 37 to be accommodated non-rotatively in thecountersunk recesses 28 and 31. Wing or other nuts 38 are run on thescrew threads of the bolts 36 to bind the handle sections 24 and 25together.

Referring more particularly to Figure 14, 39 designates the tang of thecutting'tool which is provided with cutting blades 40 and 41 at oppositeends. The spoon blade 40 projects beyond the upper end of the handle,while the butt blade 41 extends below the butt end of the handle. Theblade 40 is provided with a sharp cutting edge 42. which is preferablyinclined or tapered for a shearing cut. In similar manner the sharpcutting edge 43 of the extra blade 41 is inclined or rather rounded atits tip end after being substantially straight for the major part of itslength. Slots 44 and 45 are provided in the tang 39, although parts ofthese slots may extend into the blades, such for instance as shown atthe upper portion of the tang where the slot 44 extends partially intothe upper spoon blade 40. These slots are elongated in the direction ofthe length of the handle 24, 25 and are positioned to receivetherethrough the bolts 36. The longitudinally disposed slots 44 and 45permit of an adjustment of thetang and blades longitudinally of thehandle so as to expose desirable amounts of the cutting edges 42 and 43beyond the ends of the handle for use in operating upon the fish. Thislongitudinal adjustment of the tang 39 and blades is desirable forpositioning the upper blade 40 properly with respect to the concavity ofthe spoon bowl 20.

As shown more particularly in Figure 4 the notches 33 preferably haverounded corners 46.

Referring more particularly to Figures 15 and 1-6 wease resilientbinding rings 47 and 48 are provided. In Figure 15 the large bindingring 47 is shown as comprising spaced substantially parallel detent bars49 and 50 which are relatively movable toward .and from each other.Connecting these detent bars 49 and 5.0 at. their, opposite edges areoutwardly-looped side bars 51 and 52.

The resilient binding ring 48, as shown in Figure 1.6 is similarlyconstructed of spaced parallel detent bars 53, 54 and side or outwardlylooped bars 5.5, 5.6.

The loops 51, 52 and 55, 56 tend to fiatten out asthe detent bars 49, 50and 53, 54 moye apart.

Referring more particularly toFigures 1, 2 and 3, the tool is assembledby placing the tang 39 of ,the cutting tools between the handle sections.24 and 25, after which the bolts 36 are entered in the various boltholes of the handle and through the slots 44 and 45 of the cuttingimplement. The nuts 38 are then run up tightly on the bolts thusclamping the handle sections 24, 25 upon the cutting implement. Byloosening thenuts 38 the cutting implement may he slid up and downbetween the handle sections adjusting its position relatively to thehandle sections and to the spoon. After the adjustment is effected thenuts 38 are tightened and the cutting tool is held firmly in place.'Before or after this tightening operation the shank 21 of the spoon maybe placed in the groove providedby the recesses 34, 35 which are nowmoved closely together. The spoon shank 21, however, will be able toslide longitudinally in this groove 34, 3 and thus to adjustits'positionwith respect to the handle and blade 4.0 in a longitudinal direction. Itwill be noted that the dimensions cross sectionally of the groove 34, 35are such as to accommodate the shank 21 with the rib 22 outstandingtherefrom so as to expose the notches 2.3 in a tapering line down theleft side of the handle. This position will be assumed with theconcavity of the bowl 20 facing the blade 40. The relative inclinationsat which the spoon bowl 20 is held by virtue of the tapering groove 34,35 and the formation and positioning in the handle of the tang 39 andits upper blade 40, as shown in Figure 1, the butt end of the blade 40may lap to some extent into the bowl of the spoon with its outer tip endresting against or close to the uppermost central wall of the spoon sothat the knife blade 40 intercepts the longitudinal central line of theconcavity of the spoon 20 as more particularly appears from Figure 2.

When the parts have thus been assembled the large binding ring 47 isfirst introduced over the butt end of the handle and moved upwardlythereon with its detent bars 49 and 50 engaging the opposed notches 23and 33 of the spoon shank 21 and handle sections 24, 25. The dimensionsof the ring 47 are such that the same will permit the ring to pass to anupper portion of the handle but will not allow the ring to pass off theupper larger end of the handle. As a matter of fact, the resilient ring47 must undergo some considerable expansion before it reaches theposition illustrated in Figure 1. The progressively enlarging taperedside edges of the handle cause this expansion with the side barsflattening out at the loops 51 and 52 and consequently putting the ring47 under considerable internal elastic stress which reacts in anendeavor to move the detent bars 49 and 50 back towards one another andin so doing these detent bars snap into the notches 23, 32 and 33presented to them at any particular time incident to the progress of theresilient ring 47 alongthe handle.

In like manner, the lower smaller resilient ring 48 is introduced overthe butt end of the handle and its dimensions are such that they willnot permit this ring to ascend to any great linear longitudinal extentalong the handle, but the ring 48 will rapidly reach its elastic limitso that it will remain at the lower portion of the handle to bind thespoon shank to the handle at the lower or butt end as well as at theupper or spoon end. The interior spaces provided by the loops 51, 52

4 and 55, 56 afford clearance over the nuts 38. These loops also provideoutstanding parts of the side bars which afford grips to the hands ofthe operator for forcibly pushing the rings 47 and 48 along the handle.

The tool may be readily dismantled by removing the rings 47 and 48downwardly of the handle and eventually off the butt end thereofwhereupon the nuts 38 and bolts 36 may be withdrawn to permit the spoonto be removed, the handle sections separated and the cutting toolexposed for removal.

The process of this invention may be performed according to at least twomethods.

In'practicing the first method, as an initial step the fish is heldfirmly in the area of the gill cover. The second step is to remove thevent by cutting from the back to the front.

The third step is to slice the fish on the transverse line A just backof the pectoral fin and front ventral fin. Care should be exercised notto cut through belly bottom. The next step is to cut along the line B ofFigure 18. The tool as described herein is particularly adapted for thispurpose. The knif e 40 is inserted at the front end of the line B nearthe base of the incision A. From this point the knife is movedrearwardly along the line B to approximately the area of the removedvent.

The fish is thereupon turned to its other side and the incisions alonglines A and B also made in the sequence described or in other sequence.Thereupon the bottom of the belly is lifted from back to front leavingbelly cavity wide open for .easy removal of perfect set of roe out onlywhere it is attached to the body at vent. Small belly bottom will stillbe attached to the carcass.

The second method, which is recommended to commercial operators or whenthe fish carcass is to be saved, consists as a first or initial step inremoving the vent with a deep wedge cut from back to front. The pelvicfin, if any, is now removed with a shallow cut from back to front beingcareful not to enter belly cavity which would damage the roe. This isbest done by holding the fish belly up. Still holding fish belly up, thefront ventral fin is lifted and the operator will slice into bellyforward and toward pectoral fin for approximately one and one-halfinches depending on the size of fish. This cut should go through theliver of the fish but not touch the roe. The front end of the tool isnow inserted at the opening at the ventral line and the tool is firmlymoved to opening at vent in order to make an incision along this line.The operator will now spread the sides of the fish belly' with one handand remove the perfect roe with the other hand. It is advisable to dothis gently as the capsule of the roe is very tender.

Care should be exercised to hold the tool handle down and the spoontip-front up with firm lifting pressure. The belly opening stroke shouldbe performed very quickly. The spoon of tool pushes the roe away fromthe cutting blade completely effectively.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known tome at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications andchanges as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The herein described process which consists in holding a fish firmlyat its gill cover section only, then while so holding first removing thevent by cutting from back to front, then secondly slicing the fishlaterally just back of the pectoral and front ventral fins, and thirdlyripping the belly open along a longitudinal line above the bottom of thebelly from a point just above the front ventral fin backwardly to thearea of the removed vent, turning fish on other side and repeating theforegoing steps, and subsequently lifting the bottom of belly from backto front leaving cavity wide open for easy removal of roe intact.

2. The herein described process which consists in removing the vent of afish with a deep wedge cut from 5 back to front, removing pelvic finwith shallow cut from back to front while holding fish belly up, liftingfront ventral fin and slicing into belly forward and toward pectrol finto a depth to go through liver, firmly ripping belly open from theopening previously made at the ventral line to opening at the vent,spreading sides of fish belly and removing roe intact.

3. A process for removing roe from shad or the like fish comprisingremoving the vent, exposing the roe by 6 making a ventral incisionbetween the region adjacent the front ventral fin and the regionadjacent the pectoral fin, and making an incision between the removedvent area and the area between the front ventral and pectoral 5 fins,and lifting out the roe from the belly cavity.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,234,658 Smith Mar. 11, 1941

